


Please take my heart and protect it

by ads1008



Category: Marvel
Genre: Angst, M/M, Post Infinity War, Sweet Ending, Tony comes home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:16:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27200311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ads1008/pseuds/ads1008
Summary: After Tony yells at Steve and everything he said was true. Steve feels guilty for everything that happened between them. Steve visits Tony in his hospital room.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	Please take my heart and protect it

**Author's Note:**

> Hope yall enjoy.

Steve held the arc reactor in his hands while he looked into the room he didn’t belong in. Tony’s room where Pepper sat on the edge holding his hand, trying not to cry but failing in doing so. Rhodey was talking to Bruce where he was figuring out when Tony should wake up from all the drugs that were being pumped through him. There was Happy pacing from corner to corner on the phone with May telling her Peter wouldn’t be coming home. Then there was Steve watching all of this unfold. He didn’t know what to do. He looked down at Tony’s arc reactor, Tony’s heart, and it only brought back painful memories of the time he broke the only man he ever loved.

“Steve, you can’t stand out here all day. Let Tony be with his family. You might be able to see him later. Come on we think we might have some information on Thanos.” Natasha was right. He gripped hold of the reactor and placed it into his pocket. 

“Natasha what kind of information do we have. I don’t think I can take another dead end. I definitely don’t think Thor can either.” They walked into the living room for him to find people he didn’t want to talk to. Steve really didn’t want to be an asshole, but his heart was not in it right now. He had Tony back, that was all that mattered to him right now. “So, what we got” 

“A location.” Raccoon chimed in. 

“It’s called the Garden. This was my father’s dream where he was finally at peace.”

“Oh, that’s cute Thanos has a retirement plan” Steve looked up noticing Rhodey had finally left Tony’s side. Steve knew he had his chance. He needed to see Tony. Steve stood up and practically ran out of their meeting. 

“Steve, where are you going?” 

“Nat, I just have to go.” Rhodey stood up and placed at hand on Steve’s shoulder making him stop in his tracks. 

“Steve, first thing don’t upset him no more than he already is. Two if you hurt him, I will kick your ass. Three he is sedated so you will talk but he won’t talk back. And lastly, he loved you more than you will ever know but he has Pepper so please don’t tell him your feelings. She makes him extremely happy and you just brought him pain.” Rhodey let him go and Steve just felt all of his confidence fall down deep into his gut.

Steve stood outside of Tony’s door once again, but everything was different this time. No one was in there. It was just Tony, laying in the bed, being absolutely still. He finally looked like he was at peace for the first time in his life. At the same time, Tony looked so small. Steve opened the door slowly not wanting to wake Tony up even though he knew he couldn’t. He walked over to the nightstand and pulled the arc reactor out of his pocket and set it down on the table. It felt like it weighed a ton in his pocket, and it felt nice to finally lay it down. He looked over at Tony and for the first time, he finally saw how weak and fragile Tony really was. Tears started to well up and all he wanted to do was bring Tony into his arms. Steve wasn’t there to protect him. He wasn’t there for Tony and from the conversation they had earlier he knew Tony felt the same way.

Steve sat down on the edge of the bed and took Tony’s hand. “I know you can’t say anything, and you probably can barely understand what I am saying. Even though you will tell me that even when a person is unconscious, they can still hear everything around them because brain waves are still picking up sound. I think you know I am no good at science.” Steve chuckled just remembering that conversation they had in the lab that felt twenty years ago. 

“Tony, I am so sorry. I should have been there. Everything you said was true and I had no right to question you when you first came home. I am sorry. When Bruce called me my first thought was Tony. My heart never mind I promised Rhodey I wouldn’t tell you that. When he told me, you went to space I asked him why he let you go to the one place you were terrified of. He told me there was no stopping you when it came to protecting the kid. I hope I meet Peter for real sometime instead of having him beating me up at the airport. Sorry too soon for jokes. Yeah, you’re right." Tony didn't move. He just laid there peacefully. Steve continued. He knew he had to get everything off of his chest now or he wouldn't have the nerve later. 

"Then when you didn’t come back and the snap happened I thought we lost Earth’s greatest defender. I thought I lost my ugh Steve stopped you promised. Anyways we didn’t stop looking for you well I didn’t stop looking for you. Bruce and I would be up for hours. When he would try to get me to get some sleep, I pulled a you. I never left your lab. Once I didn’t sleep for seventy-two hours until Natasha found me asleep on your table. She would be so furious with me because me being tired wouldn’t help bring you back. You missed my new look. I think you would have loved it. Full bushy beard and longish hair. You would have called me old captain lumberjack." Steve laughed imagining the snark coming out of Tony's mouth. 

"Sadly, I shaved it right when Carol brought you home.” Steve had to take a break. He knew what Rhodey said but sometimes you have to listen to your own heart.

“Tony, I love you. I have loved you since New York. And I know you and Pepper are happy together and I have no right to be saying these things but when I thought you died, I got really low. It wasn’t just not sleeping. At one point I didn’t want to live in a world you weren’t in. Natasha and Bruce were the only ones to remind me that wasn’t what you would want. You would want me to go on and be Captain America.” All of a sudden Tony squeezed his hand. Steve was going to jump up and fine Pepper or Rhodey and then Tony spoke in a raspy voice. 

“I didn’t need Captain America. I needed a Steve Rogers. I needed the man that made me laugh when I thought I was going to fall apart. I needed the man that would sit for hours and just watch every cheesy movie in the world. I needed the man that had my back on the battlefield. When you left Steve there was a hole in my chest that I thought I could never fill because I did love you. I wanted to give you the world but what happened in that bunker I will never forget. I will need time. And yes, I am happy with Pepper but about six years ago I would have married you even though we weren’t dating. The last four years of not really knowing where you were, took a toll on me because I wasn’t sure if you were hurt or worst dead. And knowing if either of things happened and I wasn’t there to stop them hurt more than you will ever know.” They both just stared at each other while holding each other’s hands because for the first time it felt like it was 2012 all over again and they were two friends pining after each other instead of two strangers worrying if either of them were dead. Tony let go of Steve’s hand and reach over for the arc reactor and placed it back in Steve’s hand. 

“You might not have my actual heart but you can at least have this one because at one point you had the whole thing and I had yours.” Tony’s eyes started to get heavy and soon he was fast asleep once again. Steve stood up making sure not to shake the bed too much. He leaned down and kiss the temple of Tony’s head and made his way out of his room. “By the way, the kid would love to meet you one day. He’s a big fan.” Tony whispered and that made Steve smiled because that meant there was hope. They were going to bring everyone back. That maybe they could have a chance of being Steve and Tony once again.


End file.
